A Leave of Absence
by meksters
Summary: When news breaks that Uravity is pregnant, all of Japan is left wondering: Who's the daddy?


**A/N:** Hello! This is a fic that I originally posted on Ao3 but then I decided to post here as well, since I know some people prefer . Ao3 work munber:

/works/15664923

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"In other news:" The buzz in the cafe dies down as the anchor continues to speak, "The Pro-Hero, Uravity, has announced that she will be taking an unexpected leave of absence."

Ochako doesn't look up. Instead tries to stay hidden in the crowd, taking small sips of her tea behind a baseball hat. Everyone seems to be paying attention to the broadcast.

"The news comes after recent hero examinations revealed that the pro-hero is pregnant. The Uravity Agency has not announced any details about the pregnancy other than the Pro-Hero's leave. At this time, the father is unknown."

 _Hmph. She didn't have to say it so curtly._

She can hear someone ask, "Uravity is married?"

And the dissapproving response, "She isn't."

Someone else, "Oh… I never took Uravity as that kinda person."

 _Well appearantly she is that kinda person._

She can feel her sponsorship contacts shredding as they speak. Public opinion of Uravity will not be getting better anytime soon.

Her reputation will be damaged, her hero ranking will drop from inactivity, her sponsors will pull back. Everything she has worked so hard to accomplish will disappear because she got knocked up. All it took to completely unravel everything she has accomplished is one night and one ripped condom. She doesn't even know if thats what it was. It has to have been, because she definitely used a condom the last time she had sex. And condoms are pretty good at preventing pregnancy.

Unless, of course, they rip.

As she finishes her tea, she feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. When she fishes it out there is a little notification alerting her of multiple texts and missed calls. Did her friends have nothing better to do than watch the news and ambush her via sms?

 **DEKU** Today at 13:35:  
Hey, Ochako. I heard the news… do you want to talk?

 **TSU** Today at 13:38:  
ure having a baby?!

 **TENYA** Today at 13:38:  
Hello, Ochako!  
I would like to wish you congratulations on your pregnacy! I must admit the news took me by surprise, considering the fact that you are single. My apologizes if I am mistaken, however, I do not remember you mentioning a significant other when we last spoke. I would love to meet this person! I hope to meet with you soon so we can catch up with one another!

She scrolls through the rest of the messages, holding off on reading them until later. One text sticks out in particular, but she doesn't think she has the reslove to respond.

 **MAMA** Today at 13:39:  
Ochako please call me

She thinks she's going to be sick. The very last thing she wanted to do in life is disappoint her parents and that's exactly what she's gone and done. Her chest shakes with every breath and she hopes to whatever gods are out there that nobody tries to talk to her. One words out of her mouth and she'll explode. Every new text is another crack threathening to crumble her already fractured walls.

Her phone buzzes again. Ochako is determined to not look at the text, but as her eyes sweep over the name that pops up on her screen, she freezes. She unlocks her phone, knowing that she is going to regret doing so.

 **BAKUGOU** Today at 13:45:  
Hey  
I saw the news

Ochako doesn't want to talk to him. She wants to kick him in the nuts.

 **URARAKA** Today at 13:45:  
We need to talk.

She hits send before she can think twice about it. She knows this has to happen sooner or later, and if she doesn't do it now, she doesn't trust herself not to wimp out later. His apartment isn't too far away, so she decides to go and pay him a little visit. She pulls her scarf up to her nose, partly to disguise herself and partly because it's genuinely cold out, and zips up her coat. Bakugou's apartment is only about ten blocks away, so even in the snow, she gets there fast.

 **URARAKA** Today at 14:02:  
I'm here

The doorkeeper eyes her apprehensively. Even Ochako has to admit, she looks suspicous. A baseball hat, large sunglasses, and a scarf over her mouth make her seem pretty sketchy.

"Can I help you, Madam?"

"I'm here to see Bakugou Katsuki." The doorman's eyes narrow, no doubt because some stranger is asking to be let into the No. 4 hero's apartment. Ochako has met this doorman once before, but back then she wasn't alone. And she didn't look like a drug dealer. She also tended to come at night, so she didn't expect him to remember her.

"Is he expecting you?"

 _Well, he's expecting something_.

"Yes."

"I will let him know he has a visitor."

The doorman presses a few buttons on the gold-plated intercom next to the building's entrance. A few seconds later a voice breaks out.

" _Hello?"_

"Good afternoon, Mr. Bakugou," The doorman says, eyes not leaving Ochako, "There is a woman out here requesting to see you. Should I let her in?"

 _Not if he knows whats good for him._

" _Yeah, let her in."_

The doorman eyes her once more for good measure, still not completely trusting her. He steps aside and opens the large french doors which lead to the foyer. Ochako has been to Bakugou's place before, and even though she was usually a little too… _impatient_ to stay in the foyer too long, it never stopped her from admiring her surroundings.

In the middle of the ceiling there hung a massive chandelier. Interwoven crystal beads, large enough to cause serious injury if they fell, twinkled around the lights that hid inside of them. Directly below it stood a large, round glass table and a red Turkish carpet. The stairs were near the back of the room. It was an enormous staircase with carpeted white marble steps that started at opposite ends of the room and merged in the middle before separating again, like two snakes connected at only the neck. She wouldn't be surprised if Bakugou ran up and down those stairs everyday before starting his cardio. It seems like something he'd do. She quickly makes her way to the elevator, punching in the button to Bakugou's floor. The elevator dings and Ochako goes straight for the door on the left.

She takes a deep breath, willing her hands to stop trembling.

Her knuckles tap the wooden door and she waits.

The door opens and she holds her breath.

"Hey."

"Hey."

She wants to laugh or cry or scream, anything other than just staring at Bakugou and waiting for his response. They never did much waiting around when she was over. It felt… weird.

"You wanna come inside?"

 _No._

"Sure."

He steps aside to let Ochako in. Leaving her coat and boots by the door, she stands in his foyer, feeling much too awkward to walk further into his house. Bakugou coughs and closes the door. Without looking at her, he begins to walk towards the living room, prompting Ochako to follow. She takes a seat on the gorgeous and too-impractical-to-be-comfortable sofa and waits for him to speak. He seems to be doing the same thing.

Neither speaks.

Neither makes eye contact.

Somehow, despite the hurricane of emotions in Ochako's mind, she's calm. Probably a false calm that will disappear any moment, but she'll take what she can get. So, with the false calm giving Ochako a boost in confidence, she speaks.

"I'm pregnant."

And there it is.

"Yeah."

 _Yeah_.

"It's yours."

"Yeah."

 _Yeah?_

" _Yeah?_ "

"Stop looking at me like that!" Bakugou shouts, arms flailing. "I don't know, okay?! What am I supposed to say?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe something like 'hey, sorry for knocking you up'?" She tries to keep the venom out if her voice. _Tries_.

"It's not like I wanted this to happen!"

"I know that!"

"Then get off my dick!"

"I wish I never got on it to begin with!" They're close enough to feel the others breath now. From this close up Ochako can _feel_ her words sting him.

Bakugou takes a deep, shaky breath and sits down again. He runs a hand through the spikey locks that Ochako used to love combing her fingers through. She'd be lying if she said she didn't miss him. _Parts_ of him. The very parts that got her in this mess.

"Ochako-"

"Don't call me that." She interjects.

He looks at her, eyes meeting for a split second before tearing away. "Uraraka. Are you sure it's mine?"

"You don't believe me?" Her voice doesn't shake when she speaks. (It does.) Her eyes sting with tears that threaten to spill over, but she won't let them. Not in front of Bakugou.

Her phone vibrates in her pocket. She never did respond to anyone's messages.

"We…" He sounds like he's struggling to get his words out, like it's causing him physical pain. "We were never exclusive."

 _Does that mean he slept with other people?_

 _Did he think that_ I _was sleeping with other people?_

She wants to break something. She wants to scream. (She wants him to hold her and tell her everything will be alright, that he won't make her raise their baby alone.)

Tears blur her vision and no matter how hard she tries to stop them, they spill over and leave wet trails down her round cheeks.

"We weren't." Her voice cracks and she can't take it. She wants to leave. She wants to forget about all of it, to rewind her life to make it so she never let Bakugou between her legs. So that she never let herself believe that there could be anything more to their _whatever it was_ other than sex. "That's why I didn't tell you."

 _It's why I didn't tell you a lot of things._

"You're sure it's mine, then?" He isn't harsh or even skeptical. It's more of a statement to confirm one more time. She can see him look at her from her periphery, but she doesn't think she can hold herself together if she looks back.

She nods.

Her hands bunch up around the hem of her skirt, wrinkling the delicate fabric. Her chest trembles with every breath she takes as she tries to calm herself down.

"... Uraraka?" Bakugou asks. His voice is softer than she's ever heard, too soft to calm her down. Instead, it's the last crack needed to break down the dam holding back her emotions.

As Ochako starts sobbing, Bakugou scoots closer to wrap her in a hug. It feels awkward at first, with only one arm around her shoulders. But when she curls up into his side, he shifts and scoops her up onto his lap, two tree trunk arms wrapping around her petite frame. They sit there for longer than Ochako is comfortable with, but she can't will herself to move. Not when his arms make her feel more relaxed than she has in days.

She doesn't want to admit it, but Bakugou has always had that effect on her. No matter how much he would wind her up sometimes, she always felt at peace. She always felt _safe_.

"I don't think I can do this alone." She whispers.

He pulls back from the hug, one hand cupping her cheek while the other rests on her thigh.

"Who said you had to?"

She thinks she might cry again.

"You never said I didn't."

Bakugou wipes a stray tear from her cheek and leans in close, his forehead pressed against hers.

"Listen to me," She does so with bated breath, "We're in this together."

"We are?"

"Fuck yes we are."

"Okay." She can't think of anything better to say. Anything that will better convey her happiness, her relief, her gratitude, so she just smiles at him. Smiles brightly enough to take his breath away, to remind him how easily she stole his heart all those months ago. And how idiotic he was for not telling her.

He tucks his head into the crook of her neck and wraps his arms around her again. As they rock back and forth on his over-priced couch, he whispers, "I'm not leaving you alone, idiot."

"Don't call me an idiot, dummy." She teases as pokes his chest.

Bakugou clicks his teeth but doesn't say a word, just moves his head to look in her eyes. He looks at her with a question that doesn't reach his lips but it doesn't have to because his eyes tell her everything. _I'm not leaving you alone, you understand?_

She nods, eyes glued to his.

Bakugou looks down at her stomach, still the same as it was the last time he saw her.

"How far along are you?"

"I think it's close to three months." Her hand rests on the crook of his elbow, his arms outstrectched to rest on her hips, holding her as if she could fall any moment. "I only found out a few days ago, and my agency wanted to break the news as soon as possible so they could find a replacement for my area. I've been dealing with sidekicks and businessmen for the past three days." Ochako slumps forward, her head knocking into Bakugou's.

"Oi, watch it will ya?" He berates as his hand rubs at his forehead, "Did you tell your parents... or anyone else?" He tries to act nonchalant, but he wants to know if he was the last person to find out. If she only came to talk to him because she had to. If she had any intention of coming over if he hadn't texted her.

"No..." She feels so guilty for not telling them, but she couldn't answer their questions when she hadn't even fully processed it herself. "I wanted to... but there was so much going on and I knew that they would only be dissappointed in me and I just couldn't face them." She tries to blink away the wetness in her eyes but it doesn't go away, only increases to blur her vision.

Bakugou moves his hands to cup her cheeks, wiping away her tears and brushing her hair out of her face. When she looks at him, eyes puffy and lined in red, he speaks.

"Your parents love you, Uraraka." He stares at her long and hard, as if he can will her to believe by just looking at her. "Nothing is going to take that love away, not even getting knocked up." He says, smirking at the end.

She's thankful that he isn't acting too serious. She needs something, or someone, to take away the gloom that has been following her around the past few days. And while Bakugou has never been much of a jokester, he knows what he needs to do to cheer her up.

"Really?" She wants to believe him, but her parents mean the world and beyond to her. By now, everyone and their dog will have heard the news. Ochako knows that her parent's noisy neightbors will start to ask them questions about their very famous, very pregnant, and very much unmarried daughter.

"Definitely." He affirms. There is no room for uncertainty, he says it, so it must be true.

"Thank you." She says, pulling him into a hug. It's a bit uncomfortable with her arms and legs wrapped around him, but his sofa is wide enough to support them. Bakugou tightens his hold on her, pressing her right against his chest. They stay like that for a while, chest to chest, cheek to cheek, sitting on his sofa as the snow falls outside his window. Her breath begins to even out as Bakugou gently sways them back and forth. Ochako thinks back to eariler today, when just the thought of Bakugou made her want to kick him in the nuts. She was so angry, at him, at herself, at the entire universe for getting stuck in this position. It's ironic that now she doesn't want to be anywhere else. All she wants is to be held in Bakugou Katsuki's arms until the world and all it's problems fade away.

When she opens her eyes, she isn't in Bakugou's lap anymore.

She can still see snow falling lightly outside his large windows, but only because of the florescent city lights glowing against them. Ochako slides off her sweater as she gets up from the couch. Bakugou never did like the cold, even in the summer he hardly ever touched the AC, instead prefering to sweat like a dog in his high-rise. She's glad that she hadn't come around much back in the summer. Only once or twice and that was _very_ late at night. By the time they started seeing each other frequently, it was already autumn. Ochako can smell something peppery coming from Bakugou's kitchen. Her feet pad against his wooden floors as she makes her way toward his kitchen. Even from the couch, she can see Bakugou bring a laddle to his lips and nod as he tries whatever he's made.

"Whatcha doing?" She asks, taking a seat on a stool near his island counter.

"Good, you're up." Bakugou says, not turning around.

"Yeah, how long was I asleep?"

"Like... four hours?" Bakugou says, looking down at his watch.

Ochako nearly chokes, "four hours?" That meant it was nearly seven. She had to get going before it got too late.

"Kat- Bakugou," She starts, stumbling on his name, "It's getting late, I should get home soon."

"I made oden." He says it like its all he needs to say to get her to stay. It _is_ , but that's not the point.

"Oden?" She asks, gravitating towards the bowl he sets in front of her.

"You like radishes?" When she nods, he moves the pot to the countertop and plops a few extra chunks of radish in her bowl.

"That's a lot, Bakugou!" She says, suddenly feeling embarassed for falling asleep on his couch and having him make her dinner.

"Yeah and you're pregnant. You're not just feeding yourself anymore, Cheeks." He was right. She hated that he was right, because now there was no way she could refuse.

"You haven't called me that in a while." She murmers, spooning some broth into her mouth.

Bakugou leans over the counter, watching her as she takes her first bites. When she hums, he smirks, feeling satisfaction from the fact that she's enjoying his cooking. He would never tell anyone, not that it was hard to tell, but he loved cooking. At first he hated that his parents made him cook with them when they made dinner. As he grew older though, he developed a real interest in it. He liked surprising people, and for some reason, most people didn't think he'd be interested in cooking. His parents thought it would a good life skill, and since all of their previous attempts at finding him a productive outlet for his anger feel through, cooking seemed like the right choice. Turns out they were right.

When Ochako finishes up her meal, Bakugou takes her bowl and puts in in the sink, leaving it for later.

"Aren't you going to eat any?" Ochako asks, resting her arms on the counter.

"I don't like oden."

"Then why did you make it?"

"Bacause you like it."

Ochako blinks. She doesn't remember ever telling him that, but she finds it sweet that he noticed anyway and that he made it just for her. _Wait._

"You made it for me?"

"It's not a big deal, Cheeks. It's just stew." Bakugou says in a voice that betrays his non-chalant words. He knows how significant this is, even if he won't acknowledge it.

She's about to thank him when Bakugou looks away. Ochako follows his eyes and sees what it is that caught his attention. On the television is a news broadcast, if it can even be called that, discussing Uravity's leave. It's a talk show with a panel of hosts who talk about the latest news. On the bottom of the screen in large blue print, it reads: URAVITY PREGNANT- FATHER UNKNOWN

"Fucking idiots." Bakugou spits. He grabs the remote to either change the channel or turn off the television but Ochako stops him. He shoots her a questioning look, but she isn't looking at him.

" _Its not a question of whether she is good at her job. We all know that she is. The point I, like many others, am trying to make is that she can no longer be presented as a kid-friendly Pro-Hero."_ One of the older panelists says. They seem to be very firm in their belief. Ochako recognizes them from a cooking show she used to watch. The woman had a very nice okonomiyaki recipe.

One of the five hosts starts to shake her head. She's much younger than the other, probably close to Ochako's age.

" _I completely disagree. She has been one of the best kid-friendly pros to date. Not only is she a great hero, she's likeable and relatable and she is a great role model!"_

" _How is a woman who got pregnant out of wedlock a good role model for children?"_ The previous host interrupts.

" _She's decided to be honest about the situation. Uravity isn't going around acting like everyone should have kids without getting married!"_ The young woman's pink hair floats around her head like a halo. Ochako thinks she must have a levitation quirk. _"Japan has followed Uravity's hero career since her days at U.A., we've seen her grow and overcome so many obstacles in the span of ten years. No, let me finish!"_ She is on the verge of shouting as she raises her palm at the other woman, _"Uravity grew up in poverty but got good grades and got herself into a good school. She graduated, interned with one of the best heroes from the previous generation and within a few years, she started her own agency. She is a good role model, but she's also a person and people make mistakes."_

" _Premarital relations are hardly a mistake, dear. She doesn't even know who the father is!"_

"What a hag." Bakugou hisses, eyes glaring at the woman on the screen as if his glare can reach her.

" _That's not true,"_ Another panelists says, finger raised in the air to grab everyone's attention. Her large, single eye turns to the older woman, _"The Uravity agency has only announced that Uravity is pregnant. They withheld any information about the details of the baby and it's father. There are many different scenarios that could be true, but it's important to not get carried away. We don't know anything about the situation other than the basic fact that she is pregnant."_

This seems to calm the other two hosts down. The other two women who haven't spoken look rather uncomfortable with the discussion.

" _Asami, wouldn't you agree that this is not appropriate behavior for one of Japan's Pro-Heroes?"_ The older woman asks likes she's sure she'll have support.

Asami looks down at her colorful nails and frowns, _"I'm not sure…"_ she says. This seems to be an issue that is really bothering her.

" _I have to admit that I am disappointed in Uravity. However, I don't know her circumstances. She could be single, as the media has made it appear, or she could have been hiding a relationship from us all this entire time."_ Asami says. She takes a deep breath and everyone waits for her to speak again, _"In either case, I'm certain she has not gotten married and while that is something I disapprove of, I don't think it's my place to tell her what she can do with her life. At the end of the day, she's having a child. How can we be mad at someone who has saved so many lives and reunited so many families for simply bringing life into this world?"_

Ochako thinks she is going to cry for the thousandth time tonight. While she obviously didn't agree with everything that was being said, she was thankful that there were still people who supported her. All of a sudden, the channel switches and instead the question being asked is 'WHO'S THE DADDY?' in obnoxious pink font. This seems to be a straightforward gossip show focused on celebrities. There's a picture of Ochako as Uravity in the top left corner.

"Why did you change the channel?"

"They were pissing me off." Bakugou growls, eyes narrowed as he watches the man speak on the television.

" _I think the best bet is the Pro-Hero, Deku."_ The male host says. He is turned towards his female co-host, both of whom are discussing the most likely candidates for Uravity's baby daddy. _"They have been close since U.A. and they are still seen together from time to time. I think that he's the best bet."_

" _I disagree, Mako,"_ The female host says, pen tapping against the table in front of them _._ She quickly drags the pen across the table and Deku's name is crossed out from the list of names on the large screen behind them, _"I think Deku is the safe bet, but the wrong one."_

" _Then who do you think it is, Anri?"_ The man asks as he leans in closer to her, as if about to hear a secret.

" _Call me crazy, but I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being Ground Zero."_

 _Shit._

Ochako is sure that they've kept their relationship a secret. Surely they would have heard if they were spotted sneaking into each others apartments in the middle of the night.

" _What makes you think that?!"_

" _They have a certain chemistry to them, y'know? Ever since the Sports Festival in their first year at U.A., there were a lot of people who saw something great about them. And now that they have grown up and become heroes of their own, it's easy to see their chemistry when they work together. I'll admit that it's not that often, and that's it's pretty far fetched, but I have to say I would love it if it's true! They would have adorable children!"_

"She's right." Bakugou says, finally turning to look back at Ochako. "Our kid is gonna be a fucking stud."

"What if it's a girl?" Ochako asks, trying to hold back her laughter.

"Being a stud is gender-neutral, Cheeks. Get with the times." Bakugou teases as he scoots closer to her on the sofa, his gaze turning serious, "Do you want me to say something?"

"Something about what?" Ochako asks, unsure of what he is talking about.

"The baby. That I'm the father."

"I… I'm not sure." She can see a trace of hurt in his eyes. "I don't think now is a good time."

"Why not?"

"Bakugou, you're the No. 4 Pro-Hero," she starts, taking his hand in her's, "I don't want to ruin your reputation, too. Especially not when you've worked so hard to get to where you are now!"

Bakugou squeezes her hands, and tilts her chin up to look him in the eyes, "You're kidding me right? Uraraka, I got myself in this mess so don't you dare go blaming yourself," He threatens.

"Bakugou, there are so many reasons to just keep it quiet," Ochako says, voice barely above a whisper, "The only reason I made an announcement was because I had to! I would've much rather just announced a leave of absence and left it at that, but then there would've been so many questions and the news would break anyway, plus how would I even hide a baby, huh?" Ochako rambles.

"Give me one reason." His voice is quiet as he asks, hand lingering under her chin.

"People are going to ask what we are." She says, equally quiet. There is a twinge of fear in her voice and he doesn't like it one bit. "I can't just tell them to mind their own business like you, Bakugou. I have to give them an answer!"

"So tell them what we are." He says as if it's the simplest answer in the world.

"How? Bakugou, _I_ don't even know what we are."

"We're friends," Ochako's chest feels like its been kicked in by a horse, "And we're having a kid together."

It's that simple.

They're two friends. Having a kid together.

Okay.

okay.

"And that's it?" For some reason, she doesn't think the media is going to buy that. Normal people don't just have kids at twenty-five with their friends. Normal people don't have an on-again-off-again-maybe-sort-of-relationship with their friends.

"Unless you want something else." She catches how he phrases it like a question.

Of course she wants something else, something _more_. She has for a long time now, but she was afraid of losing a good thing for a chance at a great thing. While most of their nights together started (and ended) in more _explicit_ activities, they had learned a lot about each other. They would watch movies, talk about hero costume upgrades, the sidekicks that annoyed them, their parents, their futures...

They had started off as friends. The type one would meet up with from time to time but not really be close enough to depend on them for support. The two would meet up sometimes at the gym to train together, or at local cafes on their off days. If they bumped into one another in public, they would say 'hi' and maybe even hang out for a bit. As they became more familiar with each other, they couldn't deny the spark between them. There was an attraction that they had tip-toed around since U.A., high school social cliques keeping them apart. But after spending so much time together, that simple attraction that had made them such good friends, became something entirely different.

The first time, they had been watching a movie at Bakugou's apartment. Everything was the same as it always was. Bakugou would make popcorn, Ochako would bring drinks, and the two would yell at the characters for making stupid decisions. Ochako doesn't remember the specifics, only that she had been laying on Bakugou's couch, legs in his lap. His warm hands were absent-mindedly tracing circles on her calves. And at some point, their eyes met. She thinks he smiled.

And her mind went blank.

Next thing she knew she was staddling his hips, trying to take off her top as he bit at her neck. Ochako doesn't remember much from their first time. All she really remembers is that he got her off before she could even get out of her shorts. Sometimes he was still too impatient to wait for her to undress.

While they were still together, that is.

Right now, she's not sure if they can even be called friends. The last time she saw him, she had said things that she regretted. Told him lies with the hope that by saying it out loud, she would believe them herself. For a while, she did. But now, faced with the reality that she was carrying half of him inside her, she couldn't help but ponder those fantasies that she had smothered in her mind.

If she opened her heart to him, would he open his own to her?

Or would he insist that, like before, they were friends.

And only friends.

(Friends that laid naked in bed together, watching shitty cooking competition shows at 3 am and sharing lazy kisses. Friends that made each other lose their breath with one look. Friends that almost said a certain trio of words that could not leave them as just. friends.)

Ochako couldn't _just_ be his friend. It would kill her.

"What else would I want?" She asks quietly. Despite her best efforts, she still can't find the strength to ask him the question that's been burning in her mind.

"How should I know? That's why I asked!" He says, annoyance obvious in his voice. He slumps over, one arm resting on his knee as the other cradles his face. His hand curls into a tight fist a few times and he releases a large sigh. Ochako sits there on the sofa, observing him as he tries to calm down.

"Bakugou..." She starts, but pauses when he whips his head to look at her. His eyes are wide and slightly suspicious, but mostly attentive, "I... I want to be friends again." Ochako forces the words out. Her throat feels oddly tight and her eyes sting with salty tears that begin to trail down her face.

It might just be her mind playing cruel tricks on her, but she thinks she sees the slightest flash of dissappointment in his eyes before it quickly dissappears to blankness. Bakugou opens his mouth, but before he can speak his first words, Ochako beats him to it.

"I want to be friends, but..." Ochako takes a deep breath to calm her pounding heart, "I want to be _more_ than the kind of friends were before." She doesn't look away, despite the tears running hotly down her cheeks and feeling like her heart is being ripped slowly from her chest. Ochako wants to see his face when he rejects her, when he says for the thousanth time in the six months that they've had this weird pseudo-relationship, that they are just friends.

"Which is what exactly?" He gulps, eyes burning into hers.

"You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?" Ochako says with a half-hearted laugh.

"When have I ever made _anything_ easy?" He asks.

For a second, they're back. Two friends and their playful banter, but things can't be that easy.

Ochako wonders if now is the right time, if she says it, will he respond like she hopes he will?

"...Katsuki," She tests his name on her lips. She's made a point to use his family name up until now, too upset and uncomfortable before to use such casual terms of address. His shoulders noticable relax when his name slips from her lips, and she hopes that's a sign that this is what he wants too, "I... I want-" _Shit, Ochako. Out with it already!_

"I'm in love with you."

If Ochako isn't crying again it'll be a miracle. Everything is overwhleming, every sense is being overloaded with too much information for her to process. Ochako thinks that if she so much as _breathes,_ she will shatter. Katsuki stares at her, mouth open and eyes unblinking, for what feels like an eternity. He takes a deep breath, and then-

His hand is still gripping her upper arm when he leans back. Ochako blinks, her hand rising from her lap to feel the lingering sensation of his chapped lips on hers. She swallows, gaze meeting his, as she searches the deepest recesses of her mind for _any_ sort of response.

Katsuki kissed her.

After she told him she is in love with him.

That could only mean one thing.

Right?

"It's about time you said something." He teases, but Ochako can feel what he's trying to hide behind his cool exterior.

"Me? You're the one too chicken to tell me you love me back!" Ochako says, goading him on. The tears she wiped at still stain her cheeks, cooling them down as she moves into his personal space. One little peck isn't enough to confirm her suspicions, to douse the fear that's been (and still is) raging like a forest fire in her heart. But one little peck is enough to let her know that, no, they aren't just friends.

There is something more.

"Who said I did?" Her heart flutters as he leans in close. His eyes betray his nonchalant words.

"No one." His eyes, as hyponotizing as they may be, don't give her the confirmation she needs. Ochako _needs_ to hear Katsuki say it.

"Well I do." She thinks she can start to breathe again.

"I love you," He whispers. His face is so close to hers, close enough to feel his breath on her skin, "And I love that little turd-nugget growing inside of you." He smirks.

Ochako nearly flings herself into his arms as she wraps her own around his neck. Katsuki eagerly pulls her up into his lap, getting her pressed as close to him as possible. They stay like that for a while, arms and legs wrapped around each other on his bright red sofa, with little giggles escaping their lips every now and then. Katsuki pulls back to press their foreheads together, pulling back only to leave little kisses on her forehead, cheeks, nose, and lastly, her lips.

"Now that you have your answer, do you still want me to keep quiet?" He asks. Ochako already knows her answer.

"Yes, I do." She says, and Katsuki nods in understanding. Their relationship is new and disclosing it to the media would only be risky and bring up more questions. But eventually, they would be found out anyway. Maybe it would better to handle the extra scrutiny now rather than later once the media attention has, hopefully, waned. Why should she bring herself more unwanted attention when she is heavily pregnant and has more important things to worry about, like their baby.

"What's on your mind, Ochako?" Katsuki asks, poking her cheek to pull her out of her thoughts.

"Maybe it _would_ be better to let everyone know now," She says, tilting her head to the side, "The media attention will probably die down in a month or two, and I'd honestly rather deal with the extra questions now rather than later."

"What extra questions? Right after I announce that it's my kid you're having, I'll make sure to put the fear of All-Might into those shitty reporters."

"Is that a promise?" Ochako asks, already knowing the answer.

"You bet." He smirks.

And they both know it's a promise he'll keep.


End file.
